Cargo aircraft routinely transport cargo (also referred to herein as air freight) over national and international routes. Such cargo is often containerized and secured on standardized pallets, which can be loaded, secured and unloaded from the aircraft freight deck using respective cargo handling systems (CHS).
Conventional aircraft CHS can be classified into two general categories: manual handling systems; powered handling systems.
Manual CHS often include a plurality of rollers and/or castors and/or ball transfer units (BTU) set on the floor of the freight deck, and pallets supporting the cargo are manually moved over the rollers and/or castors, and secured in place with ropes, belts, or other locking devices.
Powered CHS conventionally include a conveyor system that is built into the floor of the freight deck of the aircraft and which move the standardized cargo pallets over the floor of the freight deck. For example, powered drive units (PDU) statically located on the freight deck provide a series of longitudinally spaced powered drive wheels on the floor that in turn engage the underside of the standardized pallets and horizontally move the standardized pallet in a variety of horizontal directions on the freight deck. When at the desired locations, the cargo pallets are secured thereat via a plurality of locking devices that lock onto a peripheral lip of the pallet.
By way of non-limiting examples, the following publications disclose cargo handling systems or components related thereto: U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,504, U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,975, U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,800, U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,870.